BALTIMORE (WJZ) — It’s a new year, and a new battle with rising gas prices. Jan. 1 set a record for the highest price ever.

Monique Griego breaks down the surprising numbers overall.

For the fifth straight year, New Year’s Day brought higher gas prices than the year before–and 2014 actually set a record for the highest price for a gallon of gas ever on Jan. 1.

“I think we just try to do a lot more with less,” said driver Kim Kennedy.

“I go to the gas stations that have the lowest prices,” said driver Eunice Criswell.

But because prices are so up and down, AAA says things were actually better in 2013 than in previous years.

“While it probably doesn’t seem like it to most motorists, the national average last year was actually lower in 2013 than it has been since 2010,” said Ragina Copper-Averella, AAA.

Still, in Maryland, drivers ended the year paying on average $3.46 a gallon. That’s 14 cents higher than the national average.

“We attribute that to some degree to the increased gas tax that Marylanders are paying, as well as some refinery issues that have impacted the mid-Atlantic region over the last few weeks,” Copper-Averella said.

According to AAA, analysts say we could pay even less overall in 2014, but gas prices are something they always have to watch closely.

Drivers agree, saying they do everything they can to save a dollar, including jumping on the web before filling up.

“They give us the various locations and which gasoline stations have the best price. So we use that and social media to kind of shop around,” said driver Warren Sheppard.